2023 has been a year full of unpredictable twists and turns in the technology industry, with the recent OpenAI CEO drama being a perfect microcosm of how quickly things can change these days. If you blink, you may miss it. With that said, 2024 will be a year where speed continues to be a major factor for business success, and yet, at the same time, speed and the desire for it can be the reason why some businesses suffer.
The key is finding the right balance between speed and safety, so you can give your customers what they want without putting them in danger. As we get ready to turn the page from 2023 to 2024, here are some predictions to consider.
Enterprises Will Favor Fewer Network Management Tools to Reduce Complexity
Several enterprises are drowning in a sea of tools to manage, and it’s become unsustainable for them to handle. This is happening a lot with network management tools specifically, and the issues are only getting more difficult to navigate.
In 2024, there will be a noticeable push by enterprises to consolidate their network management tools for more end-to-end platforms.
Not only does this reduce complexity, but in many cases, it will also reduce cost and help improve overall speed. With fewer tools to log in to and manage, enterprises can put more of their time and effort into better serving customers and solving higher-level business issues.
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It’s Too Soon to Completely Rely on AI for Networking
The evolution of AI over the past year has completely upended the way that many do business, setting a new standard for speed and production, which is trickling down to customers. Customer patience is wearing thin and businesses are doing all they can to keep up with demands, most notably implementing AI more prominently in their workflows. In the networking space, AIOps, which is the use of AI to automate and streamline IT operations tasks, will be the biggest use case for AI in 2024.
Although AI will play a bigger role in networking in the year ahead, it’s still too soon to rely on AI to handle network provisioning on its own. We’re still at a point where we need professionals with the right experience and expertise to oversee the technology to ensure it’s not going rogue and making ill-advised decisions.
While organizations will be tempted to give AI more responsibilities, this is one area where pushing the envelope too far can lead to negative results.
Enterprise Investments and Traffic Will Increasingly Go to the Cloud Instead of Data Centers
Over the last few years, enterprise investments and traffic have consistently gone away from data centers in favor of the Cloud.
Though more enterprises are back in the office, it has become clear that cloud traffic will continue to grow, while data center traffic will remain flat in the years ahead. Though some in the industry were unsure about how things may shake out post-Covid, early signs have been very positive for the cloud. This is an opportunity for the cloud providers to double down and further expand their footprints closer to end users who will rely on their services more and more.
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You can expect to see several announcements related to cloud infrastructure growth in 2024.
The as-a-service Model Will Keep Growing in Enterprise Networking
Enterprises are embracing more cloud-based, as-a-service delivery models across the board, as they’re also key to addressing the need for speed. The same is now happening in networking, which wasn’t the case in previous years.
Between the increased agility, ease of use, cost reduction, and improved performance, enterprises are realizing that legacy approaches, which require a lot of time to install, manage, and maintain, are holding them back from conducting business in the way they want to.
Expect 2024 to be a year of healthy growth for the as-a-service model in networking.
Network, Cloud, and Security Teams Will Collaborate More Closely
It’s no secret that a team that works together can get a lot more done than individuals can on their own.
As network, cloud, and security challenges become increasingly complex for enterprises, they’re realizing that these teams will need to work closer together, in unison, to get things done effectively.
Gone are the days when these teams could operate in separate silos.
While network, cloud, and security teams are unique and will still manage their projects, they all affect each other in ways that require full alignment and understanding.
Given the speed at which enterprises are moving today, if these teams aren’t in constant communication, it can cause a disruption that can severely impact them and their customers.
Moving forward, enterprises will establish protocols to ensure there’s more collaboration between these separate but related teams, so IT can function as a powerful unit.
